Three IITs to get their directors soon

The HRD ministry has finally kicked off the process to appoint new directors for the three IITs --Patna, Ropar and Bhubaneswar—with the search and selection committees for each holding their first this week.

The HRD ministry has finally kicked off the process to appoint new directors for the three IITs --Patna, Ropar and Bhubaneswar—with the search and selection committees for each holding their first this week.

Each of the positions have been lying vacant for over four months after the directors’ term came to an end in June and while the ministry had called for applications from eligible candidates in the same month, the search and selection committee had not met for short listing of the candidates.

“The search and selection committees for each of the IIT formed under the UPA government had not been given a go ahead for the finalizing the candidates. But now that the ministry has given a green signal, the IITs could soon have their new directors,” a ministry official said.

While the ministry has given its green signal for fresh appointments at IITs, it is yet to make any move on the appointments of directors of three IIMs -- Lucknow, Khozikode and Ranchi—that have remained headless for over six months.

The tenure IIM Lucknow director came to an end on March this year and the process for appointing the next director was started in January.

The search-cum-selection committee submitted the list of candidates to the ministry in June. Since then the final approval is pending with the HRD ministry.

Much like IIM Lucknow two other IIMs — Ranchi and Kozhikode — have been waiting for a word on their new directors.

While the tenure of IIM Kozhikode director Debashis Chatterjee came to an end in April this year, MJ Xavier resigned as director of IIM Ranchi in September last year.